In a typical multi-fiber optical cable, four or more optical fibers are arranged in a concentric array around a steel "king" wire and embedded in a polymeric matrix material (e.g., nylon). At times one may desire to separate the individual fibers from the cable. Traditionally, one common method of separating the fibers involves using a hot air gun to soften the nylon (or other matrix material) in which the fibers are embedded; the fibers are then withdrawn by separately pulling each fiber from the material. With this procedure, fiber breakage is a common occurrence, particularly when relatively long sections of cable are being separated, for example, cable sections of ten (10) centimeters or longer. The longer the optical cable, the greater the likelihood there is that the fibers will break when an attempt is made to separate them.
The instant invention is therefore addressed to providing an improved method of separating fiber optic cables from a polymeric matrix material that reduces the risk of breaking the fibers, while also increasing the speed of the method, and an apparatus for performing this method. The nature, advantages, and various additional features of the invention will appear more fully upon consideration of the illustrative embodiments described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings.